For the first time in Queensland, camera footage carried by the police force will be allowed to be used in the courts for survivors of domestic and family violence, following the passage of a bill in state parliament.
Key points:
- A bill passed in the state parliament will allow the use of camera images carried by the police force in cases of DV
- For the first time in Queensland, it follows successful schemes in Victoria and NSW
- Queensland police expect Gold Coast and Ipswich pilot schemes to be rolled out across the state
A pilot project will be carried out on the Gold Coast and Ipswich, some of the state’s most prolific regions for domestic and family violence, in the hope that the Queensland Police Service will become a permanent event throughout the world. state.
The changes are aimed at reducing the re-trauma of victims who currently have to submit detailed reports of incidents several times as part of the police report and the judicial process.
It also reduces the possibility that perpetrators may intimidate victims after an incident or persuade them to withdraw a complaint.
Estelle Forrester, of the Queensland Police Services’ Domestic, Domestic and Vulnerable Violence Command, said it was a victory for survivors, support groups and police, who have been pushing for change for many years.
Family Violence Support Services:
“We are one of the last states in Australia to have the capacity to record a victim’s statement with a camera on her body, and to present it as main evidence in court,” he said.
“Victims who have to retell their story to various agents and then have to present their verbal evidence in court can actually affect the trauma and cause a re-trauma for the victims.”
“The traditional taking of the statement usually happens after the event, and it is often not possible to get a written statement immediately afterwards. Very often, officers will schedule an hour with the victim to come the next day or in a couple of days to provide you with a written statement.
“And meanwhile, the abuser has the ability to get into the victim’s ear and, and deter her from making a statement or convincing her otherwise and use control tactics that allow them to think it’s inappropriate to do so. a statement.
“Also being able to capture the body on camera the emotions they are showing at the time of the incident, they are able to really illustrate the victim’s behavior … close to the moment.
“[With a written statement] you can’t catch a crying victim or … visibly see trauma in their face … so it has extreme benefits for that victim. “
Alarming rates of domestic violence
Ms Forrester said both Ipswich and the Gold Coast were regions with alarming rates of domestic and family violence, and that with the success of the pilot, it was expected to soon be deployed across the state.
“Both have fairly high rates of domestic and family violence cases,” he said.
“We expect it to be evaluated within the 12 – month trial, and from there we expect the ability to take video – recorded statements to be available statewide.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume. it will be used in the courts in the future to prevent the re-trauma of the victims. (Supplied by: Queensland Police)
“We have a number of officers working very hard to develop and deploy this training, covering not only the ability to take video evidence statements, but also infusing a victim-centered and informed trauma lens.
“This is very important for the investigation of domestic and family violence, so we have had a number of specialists involved in the development of the training so that we can see our properly trained agents in the future.”
The recent investigation into the death of murder victim Doreen Langham revealed that police carried body cameras several times during visits to her home, including in mid-February 2021, just before she was murdered.
Posted 9 hours 9 hours agoFriday 27 May 2022 at 06:37, updated 9 hours agoFriday 27 May 2022 at 06:57